1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector mounted on, for example, a printed substrate, and in particular to a connector comprising a connector body provided with a plurality of pin-like terminals in combination with retainers mounted on said terminals for protecting them.
2. Description of the Related Art
A connector of this type has mere structure wherein a plurality of pin-like terminals 2 extend from a connector body 1, as shown in FIG. 14.
With such a connector, it is difficult to always maintain pitches of the respective terminals 2 constant and it hinders the installation thereof on a printed substrate under particular circumstances.
In addition, the terminals are fractured or deformed during the transportation of the connector under particular circumstances.
So, in order to solve such problems, a retainer 3 as shown, for example, in FIG. 15 has been used. This retainer 3 is provided with through-holes 4, through which a plurality of pin-like terminals 2 extending from the connector body 1 are passed. Accordingly, the pitches between the respective terminals 2 can be maintained constant by passing the respective terminals 2 through the through-holes 4. Furthermore, the terminals 2 can be prevented from being brought into contact with each other, whereby the terminals 2 can be prevented from being deformed.
However, such a retainer 3 is required to be held by the terminals 2 with the terminals 2 passed through the through-holes 4. So, a diameter of the through-holes 4 has been adapted to be almost equal to or slightly smaller than that of the terminals, that is, a so called "not-go insertion" has been adopted. Thus, a moderate frictional force is brought about between the terminal 2 and the through-hole 4 when the terminals 2 have been passed through the through-holes 4, whereby the retainer 3 is held by the terminals 2.
The not-go insertion has been applied to all through-holes 4 in some circumstances but in a case in which too severe of an engagement would occur if the terminals were passed through the through-holes 4 resulting in the terminals 2 being deformed, the not-go insertion has been applied to merely some of the through-holes 4, for example, the through-holes at four corners of the retainer.
According to the above-described prior art, the not-go insertion is applied to the through-holes 4, so that the tolerancing of the diameter of the formation of the through-holes 4 becomes very critical, whereby the processing operation of forming the through-holes 4 becomes difficult.